Riverine Stewardship Program
From left, volunteers Arianna Ong, 11, and Kate Schuette, 8, collect debris in Arcade Creek in Carmichael during Creek Week clean-up day. DWR / 2013.
Through the Riverine Stewardship Program, we combine and extend the expertise and capabilities of two DWR programs that previously worked independently: the Fish Passage Improvement Program and the Urban Streams Restoration Program (USRP).
As a blended program, we are better able to deliver technical and financial assistance for the protection of listed fish species in combination with flood risk reduction and ecosystem enhancement of urban streams.
Our program also includes public engagement, outreach, and disadvantaged community support. We strive to connect with small communities and encourage community participation in project design and implementation.
Grant Opportunities
Funding will be available under the Riverine Stewardship Program’s USRP and San Joaquin Fish Population Enhancement Program (SJFPEP) for planning and implementation of projects that restore streams, creeks, and rivers to enhance the environment for fish, wildlife, and people. For more information on the grant solicitation, visit the Riverine Stewardship Program – Grants webpage. View other grant and loan opportunities with DWR.
Services We Provide
Our work focuses on designing, constructing, managing, and monitoring projects. Projects are selected based on existing priorities set by several entities, depending on the nature of the project:
- Fish-related improvements
- Flood risk reduction
- Riparian, floodplain, and stream channel restoration
- Climate adaptation
These entities include: DWR, National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), California Air Resources Board, Central Valley Flood Protection Board, State Water Resources Control Board, non-governmental organizations, and others.
Technical assistance is available to local agencies and public groups. These services are available statewide, but are dependent on the current availability of program staff, purpose of the project, program employee expertise, and site-specific considerations. Contact us at RSP@water.ca.gov for more information.
Planning and Implementing Projects
Our role in planning and implementing projects differs from project to project.
DWR RSP Draft Award List
Published: February 17, 2026
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is pleased to announce the Draft Award List for the Fall 2025 Draft RSP Grant Awards. The RSP grant solicitation period is now a rolling application cycle that was re-opened in 2025 after the advanced pay amendment for concept proposals and has a full application closing date of August 31, November 30, February 28, and May 30 of each year. Concept proposals that met eligibility were reviewed and invited to submit full applications. Concepts that meet eligibility are reviewed monthly and invited for full applications to be submitted. Full applications are reviewed quarterly and recommendations for awards are made to the Director for review and approval.
| Project Name | Grantee (Sponsor/Co-sponsor) | Award Amount | Project Location |
| Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery Permanent Chillers and UV Water Treatment Project | City of Redding | $5,000,000 | Shasta County |
| Total | $5,000,000 |
Public Comment Period now open!
Please submit any questions, opposition, comments, or concerns regarding these draft awards to the RSP Program Manager at RSP@water.ca.gov within the 15-day public comment period, which is open now and closes on March 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. The RSP will consider and respond to any comments made during this comment period on the draft awards prior to finalizing the Final Award.
An ongoing voluntary partnership effort between DWR, CDFW, NMFS, USFWS, Nevada Irrigation District (NID), South Sutter Water District (SSWD), Friends of Auburn Ravine, local landowners, and farmers. These entities are integrating and planning watershed restoration projects balanced with science and water interests to help salmon and other fisheries thrive. The projects are located on Auburn Ravine, in Placer County.
Through a collaborative effort, we prepared the Calaveras River Fish Migration Barriers Assessment Report. This publication guides and informs our efforts to improve fish passage on the Calaveras River.
Learn more about our work in the Calaveras River watershed:
Our program, through a partnership with the City of Sacramento’s Avondale / Glen Elder Neighborhood Association (AGENA), Environmental Justice Coalition for Water (EJCW), Wells Fargo Philanthropic Services, the Valley Foothills Watershed Collaborative, and Kaiser Permanente Foundation, is part of a team that’s providing technical assistance, ensuring the project is linked to state priorities, and preserving the value and quality of California resources. The South Sacramento community center at the George Sim Park and Community Center is creating a vision to connect Power Inn Road and 65th Ave via a multipurpose trail along Morrison Creek, in Sacramento County. The project is still very early in the planning process. The Morrison Creek Community Group is looking to share this vision with partners in the community.
We will work with partners to plan and implement projects that address limitations to native fish migration in the San Joaquin River including its tributaries. Projects may involve: flood protection, levee relocation, design, and construction of facilities to provide for fish passage and to minimize fish entrainment, riparian habitat enhancement, and water surface and water quality monitoring. We will focus on aiding projects identified in any voluntary agreements that arise out of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan update intended to support, in whole or in part, improvements to the San Joaquin River Watershed ecosystem and its fish populations.
Our work will dovetail with the San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP). It will focus on improving native fish populations in the San Joaquin River Watershed through technical and financial assistance to local, state, and federal government organizations and private landowners operating in coordination with government entities implementing the SJRRP.
DWR’s San Joaquin Fish Population Enhancement Program, which was established in the 2017-2018 state budget, allows us to fund projects that enhance and protect native fish populations in the San Joaquin River watershed. To learn more about the program’s grant solicitation, visit the Riverine Stewardship Program – Grants webpage.